October 6
on Assessment (continued)
on Digital Writing



Quick schedule reminder and change ...
  • Final Draft of the genre challenge portfolio is due Oct. 15 (next Thursday) and not this Thursday
  • The letter and draft of writing that you will send to the young writer at Fairmont will be collected next TUESDAY October 13, rather than the same date of the genre challenge portfolio due date, which is next Thursday. Because I'm collecting these letters one class session earlier than the syllabus shows, we'll work on these letters a little on Tuesday Oct. 6 and a little more on Oct. 8 (i.e. this week in class).


  1. Writing our way in ...
  • Write about a fragment.
  • Write about small mistakes
  • You're in a cafe.
  • Losing control.
  • "__ are my weakness"


  1. Looking at the profile of young writer assignment and schedule
  2. Assessing student writing samples
  3. Begin Digital Writing conversation


October 8 Workshop for Genre Challenge and letters to young writers at Fairmont

Who we're swapping with in Emily's class ...
Amie with Austin A.
Stephen with Andrew Bi.
Brian with Andrew Bo.
Karen with Mariana H.
Jan with Ellie H.
Jake with Levi I.
Talyn with Andrea L.
Krystle with Innocent L.
Jan with Quinten L.
Marla with Mycah M.
Krista with Kaily O.
Jordan with Tong P.
Matea with Nichole P.
John with Elvis R.
Dave with Edgar S.
Reba with Cedar S.
Gail with Jessica T.
Susan with Andrina U.
Francy with Chaysen W.
Nathan with Aaron W.


Writing our way in ...
  • These are the things women/men don't know about love.
  • Write about falling from grace.
  • Write about what's under your house.
  • Just beyond the edge of the woods.
(from A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves, p. 63)

Workshop:
A. Genre Challenge --
  • update on parts of the portfolio that you've finished and that you need to complete still
  • Essential features of your genre - What HAS to be included and how does it work with the other parts of the genre?
  • On the products: what is feeling good about what you've completed so far? what would you like help with today?
  • On the process: what strategies have been helpful in writing in your genre? what parts of the process would you like suggestions for strategies on how to handle?

B. Introduction letter and sample of your writing --
  • G - genre = introductory letter
  • A - audience = 7th grade student whom you have yet to meet
  • P - purpose = to introduce yourself, the context for your writing sample, and what you like about the sample and what you'd like helping thinking about
  • S - situation of the letter and sample of your writing = Jim is collecting them on Tuesday and then he's giving them to Emily who will have her students read and respond to them over the next couple of days. They will be returned to you next Tuesday (I hope) with a letter from your pen pal and a sample of their writing.


Assessing and Responding to Student Writing
Last time, we started to respond to three pieces of student writing. We began to use the PQP protocol, which stands for Praise, Question, and Polish.
  • What do you notice in the students' writing?
  • What do you think it means they are each working on as writers?


For next time: bring the samples of your writing and your introductory letter for your pen pal. Also, the assignment checklist is also on this wiki, under the "Course Syllabus and Major Assignments" tab on the left side of each our wiki pages.